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Friday, February 13, 2015

Presidents' Day at McKinley Museum

Photos by OHventures

Ohio is known as the "Mother of Presidents," since 8 of our nation's leaders hailed from the Buckeye State. As such, there are several spots throughout the state where monuments and memorials dedicated to these presidents can be found. Canton (Stark County), Ohio, is the resting place of the 25th President, William McKinley.

Canton was McKinley’s “adopted” home, having been born in Niles (near Youngstown), Ohio, and later practicing law in Canton. He lived here when he became Governor of Ohio until he later had to, of course, move to Washington, D.C., to serve as president. History is rich here at the absolutely stunning and ornate monument, built for him after being assassinated in 1901.

Even if you’re not a history or political buff like me, you will still appreciate what this building holds and represents. You'll appreciate even more the adjacent museum dedicated to the historical leader.

The William McKinley Presidential Library and Museumis where education meets excitement. This learning hub has so much to offer visitors, especially school-aged children. So, I planned a visit this February with my good friends Jamie and Erik, along with their girls Ellie (6) and Kaiya (2) so we could see for ourselves all that was held within the museum walls.

We immediately realized that this was not your average presidential museum. While of course there were exhibits dedicated to William McKinley, there was also much more, including history exhibits, live animals, dinosaur fossils, a planetarium and plenty of interactive components to keep the kids (and even us adults) busy for literally hours.

Since our visit was in honor of Presidents' Day, we made sure to see the Second Floor of the museum to see the McKinley Gallery. This large room was organized to replicate the home of President William McKinley and his wife, Ida. There were artifacts from his private life, his life as an attorney, and his life in the White House. Animatronics of the McKinleys greet visitors and tell tales of his life.